Advice from tractor gurus

[bigsky355]

My first question is where are you in Montana? I drove through there from Billings to Big Sky and down into Yellowstone and then out through Miles City this summer -- there is a lot of variety in the terrain and plant communities.

For most of us east of the big river, grass is a whole different thing than out in the arid plains. We can raise a cow on a lot less space than out in your area just because the grass is so much thicker and faster growing. Take the locations of the advice givers into consideration as you work through this decision.

Secondly, are you on flat ground, slanted ground, or the side of a mountain? Terrain matters, too. Steeper ground means more hp to pull implements up the hills, stability issues, and so on.

Third -- what altitude are you? The hotel in Big Sky is at 7500 feet and there were lots of homes up the mountain from there. Altitude will sap horsepower, and the higher you are the faster it will go away. Your dealers and your buddy are much more familiar with your area's conditions than those of us here in ethernet-land. Listen to them carefully.

Regarding the gear vs. hst issue, I would go gear unless you plan to mow flat ground a lot or need to use the precision maneuvering you can get from hst. I have hst now, had gear in the previous tractor. The gear seems to pull harder, but the hst allows me to move the bucket an inch or less with accuracy. The cruise control feature is handy if you mow a lot, but mine only gets used for the novelty effect and then only for a few minutes.

I have a Case DX29, basically the lower hp version of the 33. Mine has the mid PTO only because it came with the tractor as it sat on the lot. We looked into taking it off since I was concerned about hanging the shaft on a branch running around in my woods, but finally decided to leave it on since it's pretty substantial and protected. Based on that experience with manuals and such, a dealer should be able to add a mid-PTO to that machine, but check with them to be sure if it's an important issue.

To finish up -- presuming your land is typical Western sparse and thin vegation, is not on the side of a mountain, and is somewhere below 7000 feet, I think the 33 is the way to go. If you are higher, steeper, or have thicker growth than most of what I saw out there from Big Sky to Miles City, you might want something bigger.

daTeacha,

Well I am about 9 miles outside of downtown Billings. Lots of wild grass, sage, weeds etc. Most of the property is flat prairie (about 13 acres?). Many of the people in the neighborhood have horses- I don't. The back side of the property is hilly where the house is with a few trees. Altitute is about 3500-4000 ft. I would agree that the case a good size for the job, mid pto not a big deal but I sure would not mind hst

 

[bigsky355]

Yes, Chris, the prevailing opinion here is pretty much on. If you're looking to try to maintain your entire 18 acres then the tractors you've mentioned so far are on the small side. Could they do it....with a 5' cutter.....and a whole lot of seat time involved........uh, yeah, but you'd be pushing them and yourself to the outer limits to get it all done.

To me, it sounds like a Farmtrac/Mahindra/Zetor no-frills-but-lots-of-metal-and-guts rig is your ticket but as I do searches for dealers anywhere near your area of the woods it's coming up pretty lame. But, many of these tractors can be had brand new in the 35-45hp area for the money you're looking to spend.

It looks like you're going to have to decide between a smaller machine for working around the house and drive (and hiring the larger acreage stuff off) or a bigger rig and maybe a little more work on your part to handle it all.

Hi Joe,
Unfortunately those brands aren't an option around here. Orange, green, blue/red only for dealerships.
Chris

 

[bigsky355]

I'd agree that for 12+ acres, the more tractor the better. This spring I mowed a large area, I won't say how much because I don't know but it took a good part of a day. The picture below shows the area. There is at least as much of this field behind the camera as in front. I used a 45 hp tractor with a 6' mower. If you have all day to ride around in circles then a smaller tractor might be okay, but the bigger the mower you can pull the better.

As far as a loader, just get one. Right now you can't imagine how useful it will be. But once you get one you'll be amazed that you condsidered going without. For your budget I'd consider the Kubota L4400. It is very basic, gear drive, 4wd with FEL and will cost a little less than $20k new. The fanciest feature is the cupholder so you're getting a lot of tractor for the money. Loader specs are okay, not great. Same with the 3 pt hitch specs. For your needs they'd probably be plenty.

But, if you have a reliable mechanic friend recommending the Case, it might be the thing to do.

George,
I'll try to check out the Kubotas today if I can. Nice pic.
Chris

 

[bigsky355]

Yeah...we sure do give you a lot of things to think about, don't we?
Have you decided yet?

JCMSEVEN (bless his heart) mentioned the 790. It's true...I did sleep with this tractor for a while (since wifey kicked me out after buying it)...it's a great tractor...but at best, it's at the lower limit of what you'll need for 12-14 acres. I still think the Case would be the better buy for your needs and budget.

Hey Roy,
At the rate I'm going, there will be snow on the ground when I finally figure out what I need.
Chris

 

[Keith_B]

Hi guys,

My name is Chris. I have been doing some research on this forum over the last month or so- VERY informative site. I need some advice at this point on selecting the right tractor given my situation.

I have about 18 acres in Montana with wild grass, sage, cactus, some rock etc. that I will need to keep short (fires out here have been crazy- another one started up last night outside of town). Will be using a bush hog type set up for that. I have a gravel road that will need grading now and then as well. Looking for a loader for misc landscaping jobs.

Three dealerships in town- JD, Kubota, NH/Case

My budget will have to be less than 20, ideally around 16 if possible. I am leaning toward something smaller rather than something bigger. The biggest job will be the mowing so I should not be putting the tractor through too much stress (very much just a weekend warrior)

Models I have been considering JD 2320 (2305 was recommended by the dealership as a possibility as well but I think this may be a bit too low/ small for my needs. Also interested in equivalent Kubota models (7610?).

Have a buddy who is a tractor mechanic and he is VERY biased toward NH/Case. He knows of a DX33 for 16900 with loader, low miles, manual tran. I think this may be too big for my needs. Also I think I would like to have hydrostat, mid pto which this one does not have.

Apologize for the long winded initial post but wanted to give you all as much info as possible up front. I am very much a city boy now living in the country and loving every minute of it.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

18 acres of mowing is going to require a tractor that can handle a 6 or 7 foot cutter, at a minimum.

Given the mowing I would go with a 5103 or 5203 John Deere, but that would be dependent upon the landscaping work you plan to do with the loader.

If you are going to be doing a lot of landscaping work, which means you will want something a bit smaller and more manueverable in a 4WD package I would check out a Kubota L4400, as N80 recommends. The L4400 is the Kubota budget/economy model, and it is available with the 8X4 gear tranny and a live PTO. The PTO is about 38 HP, which means you should be able to power a 7 foot rotary cutter under medium duty cutting situations.

The JD 990 will run about the same money, but you will have a significant difference in PTO HP. The 990's PTO is a bit under powered for a 7 foot rotary cutter if one uses the 5HP per foot rule of thumb.

In the NH/Case lineup the TC40/DX40 will top the $20K mark. $16,900 seems a bit high for the DX33 to me. I'd think a new TC33 wouldn't run much more than $16,900, which is basically a blue DX33. For the amount of acreage you are talking about mowing the 33 seems to be a bit small. They would be more suited for a five foot rotary cutter.

 

[Bird]

I certainly don't disagree with the guys who say to go with a bigger tractor. In fact, I used to always tell people to buy the biggest thing they can afford and have room to maneuver. However, I also know that sometimes some of us can't afford the ultimate, or even optimal, equipment.

I used to have 10 acres and I mowed about 7 of them with a B7100 and a 4' brush hog a few times. Yep, it took the better part of the day, but it did a good job. Then when I had the B2710 and a 5" brush hog, I not only mowed my own, but a neighbor hired me to mow about 30 acres for him on three different occasions. That 30 acres made for two long days; about 21 hours in two days.

Time is money??? Yep, for some folks, but for some of us old retired folks, tain't necessarily true. If you have more time than money, the smaller tractor will do the job.

 

[RoyJackson]

A VERY good post, Bird!!!
DARN...I missed your 20,000th!!!!

 

[Soundguy]

That aint right.

My guess is that there is a support grup for that kind of behavior.

The sad part.. is.. we are it.. and are already here..!

Soundguy

 

[N80]

My guess is that there is a support grup for that kind of behavior.

The sad part.. is.. we are it.. and are already here..!

Soundguy

Yea, leave it to Roy to invent the first new sin in two thousand years. Got to give him credit for creativity! (Just kidding Roy, just a bit of fun.....and Farmwithjunk started it, and you know what they say about dirty minds!)

 

[Farmwithjunk]

....and Farmwithjunk started it, and you know what they say about dirty minds!)

And I thought my wife was the only one that blamed everything on me